EssexSheriff.comEssex County Kevin Ryan will collect $49,000 as an assemblyman on top of the $113,000 he earns for being an undersheriff.

Democratic leaders from the 36th Legislative District have chosen an Essex County undersheriff to fill the unexpired term of former Assemblyman Fred Scalera, who retired last month.

During a gathering at the Landmark banquet hall in East Rutherford Tuesday night, county committee members from Essex, Bergen and Passaic counties elected Kevin Ryan, 41, by acclamation. No one else was nominated.

Ryan, of Nutley, is an ally of Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., who pushed his candidacy. Once sworn in, Ryan will hold two public jobs, earning $113,000 as an undersheriff and $49,000 as an assemblyman.

"I do see where some people might find that troublesome. The only thing I would ask for is time and let people be the judge with my work ethic," said Ryan, who runs the sheriff’s Field Operations Division. "I’m a workaholic. I’m very proud of my record in the sheriff’s department."

Almost one third of state lawmakers last year had income from other public entities or held other elected offices. Among them were Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex), who works as an Essex County administrator under DiVincenzo, and Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who plans to resign as Gloucester County freeholder director at the end of the month and donate that salary to charity.

Republican Gov. Chris Christie has proposed banning all public workers from taking more than one salary, but the idea has not made any progress in the Legislature.

The 36th District includes Nutley in Essex County, the city of Passaic in Passaic County, and nine towns in southern Bergen County.

Ryan, a former Nutley police officer who has been with the sheriff’s department for 19 years, will be sworn in early next month. He will serve out the remainder of Scalera’s term, which expires next year.